What was on TV? Tues, March 29, 2005

20 years ago, the Supreme Court decided that torrenting was illegal. Let's see what was on TV!

8:00 Project Greenlight on Bravo

3x03 "Bridging the Gap"

This episode is way too similar to the last one: Gulager wants to cast friends and family, producers are resistant but surprisingly helpless in the face of his passive aggression. Show me something new! There is an exciting moment when Gulager threatens to fly to New York and confront the Weinsteins himself. It was more exciting in the promo than in the episode itself though. Anyway, I am ready for casting to be over!

9:00 Veronica Mars on UPN

1x16 "Betty and Veronica" (record The Office on NBC and The Starlet on the WB)

Veronica Mars' first season is held up as the gold standard for how to do a season-long mystery plot. But it's not just one mystery plot, it's three. Veronica has to solve the murder of her best friend, her own date rape, and find her missing mom. In this episode, she takes the last one off her plate, as she finds her mom, figures out why she's been missing, and checks her into rehab. Now the show is free to ramp up the Lilly Kane investigation in its homestretch and to take the mystery of Veronica's assault off the back burner. What's more, the show never really gets a handle on Leanne Mars as a character, but her appearance reminds us of that paternity test Veronica never opened. That's an interesting mystery strikes right at the heart of the Veronica and Keith relationship, and is thus a lot more interesting than the whereabouts of Veronica's mom.

10:00 The Shield on FX

4x03 "Bang"

A fascinating episode! Monica Rawling gives a lengthy speech to the precinct. The pace of The Shield is so relentless that such a long and indulgent scene sticks out like a sore thumb. But it's worth it. It tells us so much about Monica, what kind of leader she is, and about the state of the precinct, who's willing to follow her, and where her loyalties lie. It's good information to have, because this is the episode where we really see who Monica is and what her strategy means for the Barn and for Farmington. She is pursuing a very aggressive civil asset forfeiture strategy, seizing anything bought with drug money. It's not pretty. She throws a mother and child out of their home. The mother arrives at the precinct, screaming in her face with child in tow as everyone watches. The community is pissed, her colleagues are uncomfortable. But Monica refuses to compromise. We understand that this is only going to get messier. But we also understand that such a principled and stubborn person will prove a formidable foe when things inevitably get violent and messy for Vic and his friends.

Later The Office (recorded)

1x02 "Diversity Day"

People like to say that it took The Office a while to separate itself from its British counterpart. This is false. "Diversity Day" is a uniquely American episode of television. It gets the cocktail of racism in the American workplace just right, all defensiveness and willful obliviousness. The "game" is especially inspired. It's a little meaner than the show would prove. Perhaps realistic, but this is not a version of Michael Scott you can follow for 100 episodes. But what sticks out most of all is the portrayal of Kelly, who's just a dowdy victim of Michael. And she's Indian. Oscar is Mexican, Stanley is Black. The Office's record on race isn't anything groundbreaking, but at least these three characters proved to be distinct and funny creations, free from lazy racial stereotypes.

Late Night

Al Franken was on Late Night and discussed the Bill O'Reilly sexual harassment scandal. He expressed his sympathy...for O'Reilly. Foreshadowing!

On a lighter note, Conan took the opportunity to roast his bosses, with a tribute to the peacock titled "Simply 4th Best."

What Else Was On

• On Spike, William Shatner appeared in Invasion Iowa, in which he visited a small Iowa town and pretended he was making a movie. Only it was all fake.
• I watch figure skating, and this year ice dancers all have to skate to "the music and feeling of the 90s." It's been torture. Ice dancers have bad taste. But the aspiring American Idols' choices for 90s night weren't much better.

TiVo Status

A Frontline documentary and the TV movies Sucker Free City, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Ladies Night, the miniseries Fingersmith, and two episodes of The Starlet, and one episode each of American Dreams, Carnivale, and Desperate Housewives. 14 hours total.

Books, 20 years ago

This is one of my all-time favorite picture books. Silly and just scary enough. It's really fun to pretend that the book the alligator's jaws and snap it shut when the story calls for it.